Parenting styles revisited: a longitudinal person-oriented assessment of perceived parent behavior

Abstract

The pernicious consequences of parent psychological control are well-established. Parenting style classification schemes, however, typically exclude this behavioral practice, focusing instead on demandingness and responsiveness. The present study applies a person-oriented approach to the classification of parenting styles, taking into account psychological control. Lithuanian adolescents (239 girls, 215 boys; Mage = 15.14 at the outset) completed questionnaires at annual intervals across high school, describing parent behavioral control, support, and psychological control. Longitudinal multidimensional latent class growth analysis (LCGA) yielded four parenting style categories. Two conventional groups emerged: authoritative (highest behavioral control and support, lowest psychological control) and indulgent (high support, low behavioral control, lowest psychological control). Two additional groups emerged in lieu of an authoritarian category: enmeshed (high behavioral control and psychological control, intermediate support) and affectively controlling (highest psychological control, lowest behavioral control and support). Children of authoritative parents reported favorable adjustment on a host of indicators, including behavior problems, school engagement, character, self-esteem and interpersonal caring and connection; children of affectively controlling parents reported the poorest adjustment on all variables measured.